The Missing Hibird
by Arienna Natalitha
Summary: Namimori Koukou is a private combined mandatory high school and vocational high school specialize in Musical department. One day, Hibird, a bird, wanders off the school's vicinity and stumbled upon Sawada Tsunayoshi's terrible violin performance. 1827
1. Tsuna and Hibird

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_The Missing Hibird_

_by Arienna_

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_Ideas came bursting in when I was playing Kiniro no Corda, after watching too much of Nodame Cantabile's dorama XD

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It was a sunny and lovely day on one Wednesday of July. The students of Namimori Koukou vocational school had long since left the school ground after the activity for one day was ended by the school bell. The earlier crowded classrooms and field are now empty, with only a few people remaining behind for a certain club activities and such.

On the opened window sill of one of the practice room provided by Namimorikoukou, there sat a yellow bird. It had flew by around the school area for some time, but now it has found a spot only itself knew why he chose it. Because that room was currently occupied by Sawada Tsunayoshi, the school's well known "No-Good Tsuna". And he was about to practice his violin, which was infamous for the horrible sound.

"Yosh! I'll get it better this time!" the boy shouted, while stimultaneously shoved his fist up in the air.

The yellow bird tilted it's small head to the right and left, and it stayed there for quite some time to witness Tsuna's horrible play.

* * *

Usually waking up with a bird chirping around or nuzzling on his hair while he stared straight to the open sky, a certain raven haired pupil flinched his eyebrow when he realized that something's not right.

It has been the third day he woke up in silence. Utter silence. With no extra weigh on his head or any sight of a certain little yellow thing fluttering around and about. No squeaky voice singing Namimorichuu's anthem at all for these past three days like the raven haired boy usually heard. It was exactly like it was, before he found and adopted that stupid bird because it would NEVER leave his side, no matter what he does...

...so being already used to all of that, the young man decided that this silence is_ not_ right, and he would mend it just like how it was supposed to be.

But maybe later, after he took another nap.

It was such a nice weather, after all, perfect for sleeping.

* * *

"Those skirt are five centimeters lower than the regulation limit mentioned in your manual book," Hibari said monotonously. He gave a hand gesture to one of the Disciplinary Committee's member behind him, and Kusakabe nodded while he ruled out the cutter he's holding.

At this sight, the two girls shrieked in horror. Their futile attempt to try to plead for Hibari's mercy went flat as Hibari silenced them with his deadly glare. Kusakabe then proceed to cut off the remaining fabric of the girls' skirt.

"Earrings and accessories for students are prohibited in the school grounds," Hibari smirked menacingly at the terrified boys and girls in front of him. Kusakabe and some other members collected the accessories from them and put it inside a box labeled "confiscated". It was so heavy and full of things that are "not mentioned in the student manual book" that now the committee had to use a third box for that day.

The bell signaling the start of the class was rung Hibari glanced at the clock tower. He made another hand gesture and two people from the committee walked on both side of the school gate and then began to close it.

"Hiiiiii! W-wait! Wait!"

A small and slender boy managed to slip in time at the last minute before the gate was completely closed. He sighed, relieved that he had narrowly passed the closing gate...

"Thank God I made it in time..." he clutched his bag and a box-a violin case?-to his chest.

"You did, didn't you?" the boy-Tsuna-didn't realize the steel-cold tone coming from a dangerous person in front of him, because he was too relieved.

"Yeah! I forgot to bring my violin with me today, so I had to run back home to..." Tsuna's voice began to trail when he looked up and saw who he was talking to, and his face went visibly paler, "...get it back..."

Hibari stared the smaller boy down. Tsuna just wanted to shrink smaller until he was invisible from those scrutinizing eyes.

"Too bad you came just after the bell was rung," Hibari smiled menacingly. He lifted both of his hand and a pair of threatening tonfa was clutched between his hands. "Maybe next time you'll learn better than not to forget that violin of yours."

Instinctively, Tsuna drew back. But the feel of steel from the gate touching his back made him a hundred times more terrified. No escape and Hibari is approaching Tsuna steadily with tonfas in hand.

"HIIIIIIIIIII!" Tsuna let out a pitiful shriek, his last act of defend. So much for made it in time…

* * *

The yellow little bird came again and occupied his usual spot on the sill of the open window. By now, it had known Tsuna's usual arriving time and Tsuna's departing time. It was always on time, arriving a few seconds before Tsuna does, and leaving a few seconds before Tsuna does.

If anyone was aware of this fact, surely, they would have abducted Hibird and sold it to NASA or something. Luckily, nobody was aware of Hibird's presence aside from Tsuna. Who, by the way, didn't have any of those things crossed in his mind because of how pure his soul is. Or maybe he was just being ignorant. Or a mix of both. Whatever.

The door of the practice room was opened, and in was Tsuna, looking battered and messy, holding his violin case.

"Drats, Hibari-san sure hits hard..." he commented while rubbing his sore cheek. Then, he noticed his usual spectator already arrived at his favorite spot, and he cracked a smile. "Hey, it's the little birdie again."

Tsuna then went to tap his finger on the bird's head. The bird chirped "Tsuna, Tsuna" with it's squeaky voice as a response.

"Ahaha, you already know my name? Such a smart guy! Here, I have some leftover crackers from recess," Tsuna took out a pack of silver plastic from his pocket and offered it to the bird. It ate it happily and chirped the word "delicious" again as a sign of gratitude. "I have a new song prepared today. Listen until the end, okay?"

After Tsuna had took out his violin and its bow from their case and put the music sheet he's about to practice on the music stand, he began to take his usual stance. Hmm... he had heard this piece being played before in the movie it originated, so knowing what it sounds like wouldn't be a problem. Bearing the start of the song in mind while sight-reading the score in front of him, Tsuna began to play the first bars of the song.

_Kriieeet dzooooeeeng kriieeeeet dzoooeeeeng_

"..."

_Ziiiiiing zooooeet_

"...eh? Did I made a mistake somewhere...?" Tsuna paused to check at the sheet again. "Hmm... the last one was a bit off... I'll try it again from the top."

And so, the horrible sound kept on continuing... without Tsuna himself realized how horrible his playing actually is...

* * *

"..."

At around noon, Hibird had taken off like it usually did at this kind of hour. It had stopped singing Namimori anthem and took off from Hibari's head, even though Hibari wasn't sleeping. The last time the raven haired saw, the yellow bundle was flying off downwards.

Because he had nothing better to do, Hibari followed it.

Now here he was, standing behind a tree that's on the back of the practice room for students who wishes to practice their musical talents.

And just now, he had just heard something amazing.

Now Hibari knows the reason behind Hibird's constant disappearance.

Yet at the same time, he doesn't.

"What was with that dead cat parade song...?" he thought inwardly.

Nevermind the quality of the boy's performance, Hibari lean to the tree and sits through the whole song. It doesn't have anything to do with-despite the quality of it-Tsuna's concert touching the corner of Hibari's heart or anything. It was merely because Hibari finds the dreadfulness of the concert amusing.

"Hmm... so, music could be this fun..."

At the end of the concert, Tsuna didn't realize the yellow bird flew outside to the tree, now resting on Hibari's shoulder. The raven haired gave the little bird a long hard look.

"You're weird. Why would you want to listen to _that_ for almost everyday?"

* * *

Tsuna was surprised to find the same yellow bird that usually listened to his horrible play (though he doesn't exactly know really how horrible his play is) welcomed him with his usual "Tsuna, Tsuna" chirping when the boy was browsing for a German dictionary on one of the rack inside the library. It flutters around above Tsuna's head for some time, before finally resting itself on the boy's shoulder.

"Wah…! What are you doing here?" Tsuna stared incredulously at the yellow bundle on his left shoulder. "How the heck did you even get in here?"

The bird just tilted his head to right and left before chirping again, "Hibari, Hibari".

"Huh?"

"Hibari, Hibari," the bird repeated.

Tsuna sweat dropped. "Um… okay…" it was stupid of him to expect a real reply from a bird.

So Tsuna continue to browse for the book he was looking for, trying to ignore the extra light weigh on his left shoulder. His eyes gleamed slightly when he finally spotted one on the upper side of the rack.

Hmm... he looked around to search for a staircase, but to no avail. The rack is too high for his short hand to reach, even when he tiptoed as high as possible. So after he had carefully removed the small bird from his shoulder and had it taken another flight under the restricted ceiling, Tsuna then proceed to climb the rack.

When the yellow bird began to sing Namimori school's anthem, a loud crashing sound was heard. Tsuna failed to get the book he wanted, and he was lying pitifully on the carpeted floor-his back and his hands aching from the fall. Thank God it was after school-hour, so the library was pretty empty from people and therefore, it saves Tsuna some humiliation.

"Aw, aw, aw," he breathed.

The boy was too concentrated to ease the pain from his sore elbow to notice an irritated voice from the next hallway and a growing dark aura starting to approach him. When he realized that a shadow of a person loomed over him, he averts his gaze upwards. The color from his face drained as quickly as he had fall.

"Hi-Hibari-san!"

"You… what are you doing…?"

Somewhere on the background, Tsuna could hear the yellow bird's squeaky voice, now done singing Namimori's anthem, and is chirping "Hibari, Hibari" on the prefect's head. Wait… why is that yellow bird perched on Hibari Kyouya's head? The terrifying disciplinary prefect who is literally ruling the school with steel-hands (his tonfas) and the person you do NOT associate with little cute animals?

Now that you mention it… could it be the earlier chirp the bird made when Tsuna asked how it could be inside the library, "Hibari", was actually referring to this Hibari Kyouya? That it was in because Hibari Kyouya had brought it along?

"That bird… is it Hibari-san's?" Tsuna asked something completely unrelated to his current predicament, innocently.

"So what if it is?" the prefect answered with his usual monotone voice. His face then curled up into a smirk, after the realization that Tsuna was ignoring his inaudible threat sink in. "Doesn't matter. What matter now is: you do know that you're not supposed to create a ruckus when you're in the library, right?"

Seeing the color on Hibari's face darkened, Tsuna realize again his true position and shrank back. "I-I'm sorry, Hibari-san! I was trying to reach for a Germany dictionary up there on the rack when I fell down… I'm really sorry for the disturbance!"

"I don't care for your apology," he cut in, "you disturbed my peaceful nap. I'll teach you a lesson to not to fall so easily when reaching for another book next time."

"HIIIIIIIIIIIEEE!"

Like the usual case with Hibari, Tsuna instinctively put both his hands in front of his face for protection. That's why he didn't see the sudden change of curled eyebrows on Hibari's face and the quick and abrupt stop of the prefect's movement. But Hibari was far too experienced in fighting and beating up many rebels like this and he didn't let Tsuna realized what just happened. He quickly altered his course and slams his tonfa against the boy's stomach.

"I won't go easy next time. Get lost, Sawada Tsunayoshi."

"Hiii! O-okay!" Tsuna scrambled around, trying to stand up and walk but failed because of the added pain on his stomach. Nevertheless, he managed to half-crawl half-walk out of the library, now completely forgotten about the German dictionary he originally came to find.

* * *

Later on that overly sunny day, a man clad in black suit and a fedora is seen walking inside the school ground. His appearance could be very well inviting curled eyebrows and curious glances from a lot of people—if only there were people around to inspect his out of the place aura and appearance. What with his all black attire with light orange shirt, his black case, and his dark expression, he could be mistaken as someone from the mafia. But surely, a mafia wouldn't have those silly curly sideburns… right?

Anyway, that person made a quick inspection on the school ground with his deadly stare before proceeding to walk on the left of the school, towards the terrain of the classes' windows.

Midway through his inspections, the sound of a violin playing through the air quirked his eyebrows. It was a song he had known out from a movie. But what made him interested wasn't the song itself, but by how it was played. He was curious to know who would've played a song this badly. That's why right now; the man is standing in front of the slightly opened window, where Sawada Tsunayoshi is playing his usual violin time.

Shadow covered the man's face as his face made a smirk. He then started to kneel and opened his case to bring out a shiny black thing… a camera? And he then he aims it at the sight behind the window glass.

He was only taking a shot or two when a deep, dark voice cuts him,

"Taking pictures on the school ground is forbidden. Especially if the object is one of the students," he said. "I'll have to confiscate that."

That someone turns out to be Hibari Kyouya, who had seemed to jump off from a nearby tree. He glared at the man for ever thinking of doing anything funny while he's on Hibari's territory. No suspicious looking strangers or everyone in particular he wasn't aware of could take any pictures on the school ground without his consent.

The man in black stared at Hibari for a bit before his face turned into a smug, "And you are?"

"I have no obligation to tell you," Hibari briskly answer.

"Hmph. Then I have no obligation to do what you said," the man in black replied.

"Then I guess I just have to take that camera away from you."

Both side exchange sinister glares before Hibari began to strike with his tonfas.

~tsuzuku~

* * *

AN: this was originally intended to be a one-shot and ended where Hibari had found the reason of Hibird's constant disappearances. But when I re-read it again, it seemed so anti-climax and too bland. So while I was searching for another alternate ending, I realized that the story is hard to end in just one-shot. So... here comes the unexpected multi chapter 1827! This is not betaed, so pardon all the weirdness. I know I still have a lot to go, so that's why feedbacks are always appreciated :D oh, any ideas who was that man in black was...? Heeheehee


	2. Reborn and Hibari

_====The Missing Hibird====_

_"Reborn and Hibari"_

_by: Arienna_

_Beta-ed by: bakageta_

_Disclaimer: KHR belongs to Akira Amano :)_

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AN: no, I'm not forgetting about this story. A few days after I post this, I fell sick and had to be caged on my bed for a whole week. I had to miss out fourteen days of fasting (from thirty days) on Ramadhan because of it. And then I finally be able to sit straight, think clear, and finish it... well, I'll stop the petty excuses now. It got me a little longer to post it because I have to go sent it for my beta. My thanks for **bakageta**! :)

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Recap of previous episode

_"Taking pictures on the school ground is forbidden. Especially if the object is one of the students," Hibari said. "I'll have to confiscate that."_

_"And you are?"_

_"I have no obligation to tell you."_

_"Hmph. Then I have no obligation to do what you said," the man in black replied._

_"Then I guess I'll just have to take that camera away from you."

* * *

_

Hibari's tonfas clashed with a long black object the man in black took out of his briefcase with lightning speed. Then, as fast as he had took out his staff, he made a spinning turn around Hibari's body and aimed the staff at the prefect's face. For a split second, Hibari's eyes widened. If not for his excellent reflexes, the man in black would have hit him.

"Wow," Hibari smirked, "seems like you've got more than just a camera inside that briefcase."

"Indeed," the man replied, "but, young man, it seems like you have misunderstood me. I'm here for a business reason. So if you will, please refrain from attacking me."

"Hmm. Maybe you have, but I still want to have fun with you." Once again, Hibari lifted his tonfas to chest-height. "I'll decide after this ends."

Swoof! The man kept dodging all of Hibari's attacks, no matter where the prefect aimed. The grin on the man's face only made Hibari grow more irritated, and, at the same time, excited. One of the things that could make his blood boil in excitement and make his heartbeat accelerate was fighting. All the more exciting if the opponent turns out to be a freaking wolf in sheep's clothing.

"Heeh," Hibari sneered, "let's see how you handle this one."

of the sudden, Hibari's tonfas were covered in spikes.

"Hmph," the man's face darkened, as he straightened up his hat. Well, if the boy thought that he had nothing else hidden up his sleeve, then too bad. "Let's just end this and get to our business, shall we?"

* * *

"Mi~dori tanabiku namimori no~"

Tsuna tilted his head towards the yellow bird when it suddenly began singing Namimori's anthem. He was about to go again for the last line of the score when the bird started.

"Um… okay…" confused about what could be the trigger of this action, Tsuna decided to ignore it. He turned back to the music stand and began to play the first note of the last line of the song.

Clang! Trakk!

"Hiii! W-what is that…?"

This time, it was the sound of steel clashing against steel. Hearing this disturbing sound on the school grounds was something out of ordinary. Tsuna wondered what could have caused the ruckus... He carefully peered out of the window, in the direction where the yellow bird had taken off for just a few seconds ago.

To his horror and surprise, he spotted someone whom he didn't believe he would meet again. That black attire… that fedora… those curly sideburns… what was that person doing here, at his school? …And why was he battling Hibari-san?

"Reborn!"

Clang! Hibari reacted just in time to block Reborn's attack.

"Ciaossu, Tsuna. It's been a while." The man who is called Reborn gave Tsuna a nod before jumping away to avoid Hibari's spiky tonfas.

"Eh…? Yes. Yes, it has," Tsuna hesitantly nodded, "um… why are you here…? Moreover, why are you fighting with Hibari-san…?"

"You… Sawada Tsunayoshi. You knew this person?"

"Eh… sort of… he was my—"

"From today, I'm resuming my post as Tsuna's Music Tutor. My name is Reborn."

Hibari stared at Reborn blanky.

Tsuna's jaw dropped.

"W-what…? Reborn is going to be my music tutor again…?" Tsuna repeated those words as if it was some incantation, eyes gleaming with moved tears. Reborn moved his hand and the item he was holding on his left arm while fighting Hibari was revealed: a harisen. "Wait… Reborn is going to be my music tutor again! Whaaaaat!"

"By the way, that was a pretty pathetic performance you just played." Reborn stated, while lifting the harisen to his shoulder. "I've only left you for three years, and this is how far you got? I should re-discipline you from the beginning again, dame-Tsuna."

"H-HIIIII!"

And thus, began Tsuna's hellish training with Reborn…

* * *

"What do you mean 'why', Tsu-kun? You said you wanted Reborn-kun to be your music tutor again! That's why I specifically told Dad to hire him as soon as he became available," Nana, Tsuna's mother, happily chatted away while hanging the sheets that had just been washed to dry. "Aren't you excited about it?"

"Um, Mom, I did say that. When I was like, eleven and still innocent," Tsuna pointed out, "and now that I think about it, I must've hit my head somewhere that time. His teaching method is still as forceful as ever."

Tsuna rubbed his cheek carefully, a light red mark from Reborn's "greeting" earlier was still visible.

"You mean to say that he's aggressive, right? Well, it's a good thing for a teacher to be aggressive about their work, don't you think? So the students won't be too lax in their studies."

"No, Mom. I meant to say that he's violent..."

"Of course! It is necessary for teachers to have that amount of passion!"

"..."

In the end, Tsuna gave up his attempt to try to talk his mother out of this. It seemed like he couldn't escape being tutored by Reborn, one of the Genius Seven Arcobaleno. Now that thought about it, Reborn was an international star, so why would he have the time to bother with Iemitsu's request and become Tsuna's music tutor...? That was just too suspicious...

Tsuna stared at the flyer Reborn had given him. It was the notification of Namimori's 45th anniversary celebration. And among many things that were written on the page, there was only one line that had caught Tsuna's eyes.

"I have to... participate in this...?" Tsuna sighed. "What are you planning, Reborn...? The first prelims are just a month away... no matter how fast I improve, in my current state there's no way I could win against the whole area... sheesh."

What Tsuna has been staring intently at was the line "Namimori's Annual Best Violinist Selection: grand finale" on the flyer. Reborn was still the way Tsuna remembered him from three years ago: spontaneous and full of tricks. What kind of teacher forces the student he just met after a long absence into a competition that the student would surely fail? And to top of that, offering to let Hibari beat the crap out of him if he failed, too.

_Flashback_

"I say, though messy and off-balance, Tsuna has something in his performance that he only possesses, don't you think, Hibari?" Reborn said, already becoming too familiar with Hibari even though they had just met today and a few seconds ago, had been trying to beat each other into a pulp. "Don't you think it'll be interesting to see what kind of music he'd produce if he were to compete to get this year's Namimori's best violinist title?"

"Ehh? W-what are you..." Tsuna cried out in confusion, but he found his voice died out.

At first, Hibari, tonfas still clutched defensively in front of his chest, just stared at Reborn blankly. Then, his face turned to Tsuna, and he started to snicker. "Hmph. Him? Namimori's Best Violinist? You're joking, right?"

Tsuna felt like he wanted to disappear from this earth for eternity.

"If he could manage to play something other than a dirge... I guess it's something to look forward to after all." Hibari flipped his head to his right and left, stretching his sore neck, "well, it's not as if something like that is possible with the way he plays. And don't change the subject more than this. You and I still have some unfinished business."

At this, Reborn's fedora covered half of his face and his lips curled up into a smirk. "Who do you think I am? I am Reborn, one of the Genius Seven of the Arcobaleno. There's no sort of pupil I can't handle. I'll teach Tsuna everything he needs to know and I'll make him the best violinist Namimori's ever seen."

"What? You're out of your mind, Reborn... you're really, really, out of your mind...!" Tsuna's cry of protest went ignored.

"And I'll tell you what. When that happens, we can continue killing each other. I'd be more than happy to do it now, but I'm human, too. I need to work in order to keep the flow of the money going. It's a day to look forward to, don't you think?"

"Hn." Maybe it was just Tsuna's imagination, but Hibari seemed to give Reborn's words a thought. But that... that couldn't be... right?

"Hi... Hibari-san...?"

Tsuna dropped his jaw again when he saw Hibari returning his tonfas to the back of his jacket. "Fine. It's not wise of me to let school property got damaged any more than this, anyway." And to make things worse, Hibari throws a smirk at Tsuna, "Heh... and it might actually be fun, to hear you play a real song for a change."

"Ha... haaaa?" Wait, what does that mean? Does this mean that... Hibari had, on previous occasion, listened to one of Tsuna's performances...? Oh! How embarrassing, if that were truly the case! Tsuna thought. Hibird aside, Tsuna wasn't ready to let anyone hear his horrible playing yet!

"Well... I'll look forward to your methods of teaching him... whoever you are," Hibari said again, as he turned to walk away. "Ah. But if he fails to be Namimori's best violinist... then I'll bite him to death, too. Is that acceptable?"

"Roger!" without a second thought, Reborn raised his thumb at Hibari.

"Eh? Ehhh? W-why do I have to get bitten to- OUCH! THAT HURTS! REBORN!" Reborn had already slapped his harisen, his favorite tool of tortur-er, teaching his student, across Tsuna's cheek.

"Just shut your mouth and do as I say, then you will have nothing to worry about." Reborn had said as an act of reassurance, but frankly, Tsuna didn't feel the least bit assured at all.

_End of flashback._

So again, he was thinking how on earth things could get so out of hand like this. He was barely able to perform for Nana and Fuuta, his little brother, let alone perform in front of an audience of hundreds of people.

And he was sure he couldn't even handle the first prelims... The competition was against the whole of Namimori. And who was Tsuna? He was just a no-good first year high school music student who just wanted to play whatever he wanted without people criticizing the way he plays. Was that too much to ask?

"I'm never going to be able to do this..." Tsuna gave the flyer one last big frown before crumpling the paper and tossing it away. He then stood up and left the porch of the garden-where his mother is still hanging some sheets out-to the stairs that would lead him back to his room. Screw Reborn. He's not some pathetic little first year in middle school anymore. He's in high school now, and nobody could force him to do things he didn't want to do. Reborn would just have to swallow disappointment when Tsuna told him that he wouldn't participate in any of this tomorrow. Just wait and see.

* * *

"I was bored and had nothing else better to do," Legs crossed with one hand supporting his face, Reborn admitted matter-of-factly. "The jobs to perform at some random palace and for television had become increasingly tedious. Just when I was thinking I could use some other job offer, Iemitsu came while I was on my break from performing for the Maharaja in India and I accepted it right there on spot."

During his break at school inside the usual practice room, Tsuna was asking Reborn why he would accept such a job from his parents. Tsuna knew that Reborn knew that his parents couldn't pay as much as the Maharaja had been paying him. And Tsuna also knew that Reborn was a sought after violinist and composer, so his schedule must have been so jam-packed that it'd been hard to breathe. So why would someone that high-paid and sought after want to teach a mere music student for a not so extraordinary wage...? And that was what Tsuna got for his answers.

"I should've guessed... he has a tendency to be spontaneous after all..." Tsuna said to himself.

"Did you say something?"

"Um. No, nothing at all!" Tsuna waved his hand in an excessive manner. "Eh... but why are you... is it okay for you to go in and out the school ground as you please like this...? Even using the school property... what if Hibari-san got mad at you again...?" Just imagining that was enough to give Tsuna chills.

"Dame-Tsuna should just worry about his own problems." Reborn stated. He straightened his legs and pointed his harisen, which he has been holding the entire time, at Tsuna's face, "Do you have what it takes to be the best violinist in the whole town within a month?"

Then all of the sudden, Tsuna remembered again. The resolve he made yesterday to tell Reborn that he wanted absolutely nothing to do with this. If he didn't tell Reborn now, he might not get the chance to ever again... "Actually, Reborn, I need to talk to you about that. I don't think I wa-"

"Of course, it's not the matter whether you have it or not. In any case, I just have to make sure that you have it in the end, even if I have to force you to," completely ignoring Tsuna's protest, as usual, Reborn nodded to himself. "Well, let's just review and see how far you are from the bottom. I just heard you play live for the first time since three years yesterday, and it was only once. If you're really helplessly pathetic, though, I'll hit you, Tsuna."

"Wha- hey! You're not listening to me at all!" but Reborn only opened the case of the upright piano and began to play a short piece to check its tuning. Tsuna should have expected that. This is Reborn, after all. There's no way that he'd listen so easily to Tsuna. "Reborn... I can't... there's no way that I-"

"You want me to give you a choice then, Tsuna?"

Tsuna paused for a second. Did he hear that right? "Yes. Yes, please." He nodded vigorously.

Reborn shrugged his shoulders and sighed. He bent down and opened his briefcase to look for something. Tsuna watched Reborn with anticipation. What could Reborn be searching for...? Surely, not some other tool to torture him with, right? After all, Reborn did say that he'd give Tsuna a choice... sort of.

"Wha- Reborn! W-what are you trying t-to do?"

Tsuna was frozen in shock when Reborn took out a revolver out of his briefcase and pointed it at him. Still with a plain expression and cheery voice, Reborn spoke, "Saa, take out your violin and play now, or never play it again. Choose, dame-Tsuna."

And that's how Tsuna was faced with the most unfair choice he had ever encountered.

* * *

The atmosphere around the members of the computer club was usually gloomy and monotone, but, like no other day, today they couldn't even begin to properly rate their anxiety levels. There weren't as many members as the orchestra club or any of the sports club, that's for sure, but that didn't mean that they were short in equipment. There was always enough computers for each of the members before. So activities always ran smoothly. So... how come now, all of the members that had attended that day had to take refuge in the old computer lab? Hmm...

_Flashback_

"We're taking over the lab for today." Kusakabe shouted as he slammed the door of the computer lab open. "So what are you waiting for? Hurry up and get your butts out of here!"

"Eeeeeehh? Like hell we will!" All of the computer club members screamed back in unison.

Then a bird flew inside the room, followed shortly by the figure of Hibari Kyouya. His eyes were staring down all of the people present in the lab, and those pathetic humans quickly cast their eyes to the floor. The little bird chirped slightly, before resting itself on top of one of the monitors used by one of the members.

"I need to use the internet. All of you weakly pathetic herbivores go away before I bite you to death."

In the background, Hibird happily chirped"kamikorosu~ kamikorosu~".

_end of flashback_

So, apparently, Hibari had wanted to surf the internet... but it seemed like the computers in the reception room (which had the latest specification and were taken by force from the computer club) were broken or something. That was what the members had found out when one of the Disciplinary Committee members had also abducted their buchou to go to the reception room to "do his fucking natural calling". So that's why he made all of the people on the lab screw off somewhere else. There's no way Hibari Kyouya would want to surf the world wide web under the same room as mere herbivores. Especially herbivores in a crowd...

"...hmm... Arcobaleno..."

Sitting almost in the back of the room was Hibari Kyouya, one hand on his chin while the other was gripping the mouse connected to the PC lightly. On the monitor, a web browser showing a website about the famous original orchestra members is open.

"..Hm? What is this? So they're fighting over something like that... how pathetic..."

Hibari couldn't help but smirk when he remembered the fight between him and the man who called himself Reborn. If he really was the kind of person the media had portrayed him as, then it might really worth the wait to let him teach Sawada Tsunayoshi. Both of them were really interesting... in different manners.

* * *

Ignoring all of the noisy screaming he got wherever he walked, a boy with blazing silver hair and with a constant scowl on his face walked through the hall with an air of snooty-ness all over him. Still, no matter how pompous he looked like on the outside, girls wouldn't stop hovering over him and screaming for him from the very beginning of the day.

"G-Gokudera-sama...!" a girl who had mustered all of her courage after talking with her friends earlier, came up to stop him. "Gokudera-sama, congratulations on winning the second place for National Junior Pianist!"

"Yes. It must be tiring, spending a week in a country you're not accustomed to!" Another girl, presumable a friend of the first girl, shot like a bullet to the first girl's side. "We welcome you back to Japan!"

"You must be hungry," a third girl appeared, and she stood up on the other side of the first girl, and then she held out a cartoon-covered box. "This is a lunch box we made together... if you want, please enjoy it!"

It must be really great being that Gokudera-sama guy, whoever he was. Was what the boys who happened to be close by thought of the situation unfolding before them.

But then, a surprising thing happened. A "Shut the fuck up. Get out of my way, you noisy bitches" was heard as a reply from this Gokudera-sama, shocking both the girls and the boys who were thinking how lucky he was to the core.

And then the one called Gokudera left the shocked girls and continued onwards in the direction of the cafeteria, as if nothing had happened.

What's more surprising was what was happening behind him, shortly after he had left; how those three girls and a few others who had happened to pass by suddenly warmed up and squealed loudly in unison. And they were screaming things like, "How cool~ the Smokin' Bomb Hayato is so cool~" and, "He's so hot even though he's all conceited!" and things like that. The boys shook their heads-girls are really hard to understand. They tend to like things that are not supposed to be liked.

Tsuna, who was one of the boys who stood on the crowd, couldn't have agreed more.

* * *

In his surprisingly modest and spacious-for the lack of stuff-room, Reborn casually dropped some papers he had examined to the side of his bed. He then examined the other paper in his hand. Then he cast it aside again. All of those papers were graphical reports he had made during his review time with his beloved student on how far he had gone (or how far he had fallen, as Reborn liked to say) after the years they hadn't met. Reborn had given Tsuna a hearing test, a writing test, and had him give a performance.

And the results were surprisingly... decent. Tsuna was able to identify most of the tunes Reborn had been playing, and he had been able to write them down equally well as well.

"Just... what happened in this department...?" Reborn wondered as he held the last of the papers, the result of the performance test. It showed a stable line on the very bottom of the chart.

Reborn was, once again, astonished. To think that his ears played no tricks on him... not that they usually played any tricks on him or anything. It was just that hearing Tsuna play that way twice made him rather... amused. Because... who knew there were actually people who didn't improve after three or four years...

"Well, Leon. It's been a while since I've had a challenging pupil, huh?" Reborn asked his pet, a chameleon, who was sitting beside him on his pillow. "How should I let the seed of talent in him grow into a beautiful flower...?"

Responding to his name being called, Leon tilted his head to the side.

"Hm... I should probably start with his accompaniment, first, huh... let's see. Ah, I bet he's available."

Reborn grinned widely at his phone... 


	3. Tsuna, Reborn, and Mysterious Guys

_====The Missing Hibird====_

_"Tsuna, Reborn, and Mysterious Guys"_

_by Arienna_

_KHR fandom _(belongs to Akira Amano)

* * *

_AN: No beta reader for this fic, because she's swamped in her college assignments. Mind the mistakes :)_

* * *

A sly smirk grew on his handsome face when he read the data written on the paper. He waved the paper in his hand with satisfaction to his two comrades in front of him.

"Has the deeds been carried out to our little lambs?" the soothing tone that person bears barely conceals the danger he emitted.

"Yes, they have," the taller bespectacled persona answered with a low, monotone voice. "But it seems like we haven't caught the big fish yet."

The person sitting on the tacky, yet used to be grand couch, the owner of that handsome feature with a rather odd hairstyle resembling a Pinapple, chuckled mysteriously.

"Kufufu. It's fine. Keep doing things the way you do. If we keep this up, he'll have no choice but to take the bait eventually."

The other persona with a wide grin and a striking blonde messy hair perks up, "If that's the case, then may I go all out, Mukuro-san?"

The owner of that soft, alluring, yet dangerous voice—who was called Mukuro by his comrade—tugs a small grin on his face.

"By all means."

The sound of droplets of water falling rhythmically from one of the broken water pipe on that run-down building echoed through ought the halls.

* * *

Beside his bed, Tsuna's alarm rang wildly—almost angrily at him, for not giving it the attention it deserves. It kept raging on and on until Tsuna's boyish hand appeared from under the blankets and shut its lid down.

Ahh, peace is nice.

"Wake up."

With a slight growl, Tsuna rolled to his right and hugged his bolsters in a tight embrace. Yummy, spicy, and delightful pizzas came into view and Tsuna ate a whole pan of it with an admirable time.

"Oi, you'll be late."

Ahh, the sweet and cool taste of Banana Split have got nothing else better to compare to—especially after you just finish eating a hot and delicious pizzas. Tsuna is in bliss right now, tasting such a fine delight on such historic place. After all, not every day you get to eat such delicious thing on top of the Eiffel Tower. You got a win-win situation, eating a fine meal while admiring the beauty of the scene from on top of the Eiffel Tower. Nothing could ruin this moment.

"I said wake up already, Dame-Tsuna!"

A painful throb on the forehead sent Tsuna flying downwards from the Eiffel Tower, returning him back to where he belong—reality.

"Hiieeee! I'm falling, I'm falling—I'm gonna dieeeeee!"

From his current position, head-first on the carpet, he saw a man clad in a suit, full suit—and not to mention jet black—staring him down, with a hand glued to a gun-like toys. His hair oddly sticks out like some sort of electricity ran through them, and his eyes—those eerily deep onyx eyes—peering him down with seemingly mischievous intentions.

"Finally awake, sleepy head?" that out of the place person, Reborn, said to Tsuna. "Are you ready to face another day of your Spartan training with me?"

After being roughly killed from Eiffel Tower inside his dreams, it seems like he would have to undergo another life and death situation with Reborn in his real life as well. Tsuna sighed, defeated, and he rise from his inverted position and rubbed his sore forehead. He stared blankly at the small round object near his hand, the thing that had sent him a wake-up call from inside his slumber.

"Be thankful that it's only a rubber gun, useless student." Reborn slung his toy gun to his shoulder and started to head towards the door. "Now you got ten minutes to freshen up and get ready for school, and you still have only ten minutes before I went ahead and eat your share for breakfast."

Watching Reborn's figure disappear from his sight and the feel of his mild threat slowly sinking in, Tsuna shot up like the rubber bullet he had been hit at and started panicking. Having only wake up a couple of seconds from sleep, his mind was still rather jumbled and he began to wail confusedly.

"I have to get ready… need to brush my teeth and—ah, I forgot, where did I put today's uniform again? Let's see, I think it's… wah, wahh! Forget about that for now! I have to take a shower first in less than ten minutes or else Reborn will eat my share of breakfast…! Needs to hurry, needs to hurry…!"

After taking a quick cold shower and headed downstairs to eat breakfast with his mother and little brother, Tsuna's senses finally caught up to him.

"Wait, what is Reborn doing in our house?" he cried out, after Fuuta handed him the ketchup he had asked earlier.

* * *

Tsuna was late again.

Hibari was already on a stand-by mode by the time he arrived at the school gate.

Oh, how Hibari likes to torture students who came late.

"This is the second time I came across you being late under my watch, herbivore," Hibari had darkly reminded Tsuna of his failure of fulfilling punctuality. "Third time's a charm, they say. Wanna try and see how it'll turn out?"

"Hiiieeee! No thank you! I won't be late again, I promised!" Tsuna waved his free hand vigorously, denying Hibari's rhetorical question. He was inwardly asking himself why Hibari would call him herbivore.

Hibari merely sneered at Tsuna. "I heard your training with that guy yesterday. You still suck." The prefect started to warm up his knuckles, and all of his henchmen had apparently taken this as a sign to warm up theirs as well. "If you want to taste the steel of my tonfas that badly, feel free to stay that way." His smirk grew wider when he noticed Tsuna,feeling frustrated, started to grit his teeth. "Though I guess you'll still taste it now anyway."

After he was done teasing(?) our poor Dame-Tsuna, Hibari scoffed and turned his sight to other 'herd of herbivores' that consist of the students who came late that day. By a mere glance from him, all of those pathetic students felt wary and anxious. Ugh, doesn't their prefect get tired from beating up people everyday? His agenda from Monday – Friday was packed from beating the crap out of students—sometimes mere commoners—who disobeys the regulation, forming any insignificant crowding, and sometimes just because they irritated the honorable Hibari-iinchou. They were wondering whether Hibari had one day vacation from beating up people with his tonfa.

But after seeing his psycho smile, that thought flew out of the window. It was always as radiant as when other occasion took place.

"How should I beat you all up today?" asked Hibari to himself, the dreaded tonfa already in hands.

* * *

"How many sugars would you like in your coffee, Reborn? Five? Six?" a cheery, yet graceful voice of an adult woman was audible from behind the partition of the medium size office. It was probably a separation from some sort of kitchen, because you can hear the clinking of metals from kitchen utensils and the sound of something being stirred inside of a ceramic.

Sitting on top of what seems to be the main table inside that clean white office, Reborn answered while still observing a photograph of a woman and a small girl inside of a classic engraving frame, "No sugar for me. And I'd preferred some snacks as well, if you please."

A couple of seconds later, a woman with red blouse and black khaki pants emerged from inside the presumable kitchen, holding a wooden tray consist of two white ceramic cups and a small basket of animal-shaped rice crackers. Her beautiful face forms a mischievous smile, and with a teasing tone, she said, "Is the lack of sugar you're consuming any contributing factor of that scowl and sneer you seemed to flaunt all the time?"

Reborn calmly put the frame back to where it stands on the table, and with a hint of a ghost of smile on his face, he replied, "This is the face I bear since I was born." He hopped off from the table and proceeds to take a seat on the chair near the wall. "Moreover, it's not about the lack of sugar I'm consuming. But it's the _excessive_ amount of sugar that _you_ consume; it makes your silliness grow like fungus over these years, Aria."

The raven-haired woman chuckled softly, and she gestured a small bow, "Why, I'll take that as a compliment."

Reborn was sipping his coffee and took some bite on the animal rice crackers while Aria was appreciating the scenery from the window sill.

"So, how do you feel about Japan after three years?" Aria started again, after a short silence.

"Delicious," Reborn waved his finger at Aria when the woman turns to him with a questioning look, "the foods. They're as great as I remember."

"Hah. Does Italian food wasn't up to your standard or something?"

"I like the foods here too, okay?" Reborn said defensively and munched more crackers.

"Well. Okay." Aria turned back to the window sill and she continues her appreciation to the green nature of the school. "So, how was it? I heard you came here to fetch your old student."

After Reborn had drunk his cup of coffee, he stared solemnly at the now empty ceramic, "Hn. That useless student of mine."

Aria closed her eyes as she breathed in the lingering fresh scent of morning, "Hm? Have we got some problem here? He must be quite special if you agreed to take him under your wings, though I haven't heard him play myself."

"Unfortunately, we wouldn't know his true talent," Reborn is now circling the lid of the cup with his point finger, "not until he was released from whatever it is chaining him to the ground like that."

As a gentle breeze passes through the window, Aria notices some kids from both the regular and the musical department running around on the field, with spirit that could only be defined as passions of youth. Behind them was another band of students from the disciplinary committee, who were also running as heartily as the earlier. She made a small smile of approvement. Because this is how students in Namimorikou should spend their school life; full of energy and solidarity with fellow friends.

* * *

AN: Umm... so... I guess... I'm sorry for draggin this chapter this long! OTL if any of you noticed, I went MIA for a month or so in this fic, yet I started another fic on the same fandom. Sorry! Actually, I have reasons for all of this. Reasons called: _writer's block_... OTL guh! But if this makes any of you feels better, I spent almost 80% of my life feeling confused and guilty about it. Well. It's like overcoming a thick wall... or something. But. I managed. Somehow.

Well... about this chapter. There's not much going on except for witnessing how Hibari is a hardcore violence maker, the dame-ness of dame-Tsuna, and hauling _yet another_ potential important characters into the stage. Well, I am trying to get the important characters into the stage. And I too, am trying to set the properties for the settings of the stage. So that's why, there's no significant HibaTsu interraction _yet_, until this point. But I'm setting it! I'm setting it! All the endings I had in mind seemed to have went a few steps further, so it may take longer to collect them back.

Anyone notice the absent of our main star? XD please review so I can improve for the better or worse :)


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